


tell me that we'll work this out right

by itisjosh



Series: kenopsia [1]
Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Afterlife, Aftermath of Violence, Arguing, Banter, Developing Friendships, Enemies to Friends, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Ghosts, Haunting, Humor, Moral Dilemmas, Morality, Panic Attacks, Past Character Death, Platonic Female/Male Relationships, Platonic Male/Male Relationships, Platonic Soulmates, Politics, Swearing, Unfinished Business, aftermath of war, so much fucking arguing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-18
Updated: 2020-12-06
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:14:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 10
Words: 14,180
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27615388
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/itisjosh/pseuds/itisjosh
Summary: After he destroyed L'manberg and got his dad to stab him through the chest, Wilbur figured that it was over, that he finally was allowed to rest.Unfortunately, the universe seems to fucking hate him.
Relationships: Floris | Fundy & Wilbur Soot, Jschlatt & Toby Smith | Tubbo, Jschlatt & Wilbur Soot, Niki | Nihachu & Wilbur Soot, Wilbur Soot & TommyInnit
Series: kenopsia [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2043280
Comments: 280
Kudos: 969





	1. outright

Wilbur leans back on his heels, watching as Tubbo and Tommy try to haul off some of the rubble from the explosion. He moves to help, figuring that they need all the help they can get. Admittedly, destroying L'manberg might not have been his best choice. But it's too late now, and since he's dead, he's got all the time in the world. Wilbur never believed in the afterlife or ghosts, but since he's one of them...well, he's got a good reason to believe. "Hey, Wilbur." He holds back a sigh, closing his eyes. Fucks sake. He can never catch a break. After he destroyed L'manberg and got his dad to stab him through the chest, Wilbur figured that it was over, that he finally was allowed to rest.

Unfortunately, the universe seems to fucking hate him. 

"What do you want, Schlatt?" Wilbur turns around to face the ram-hybrid, the urge to punch him in the face is nearly overwhelming. "I'm not in the mood to talk to you."

"You never are," Schlatt grins at him, hovering upside down. Of course he is. In the afterlife, they were cleared of all of their illnesses and plagues. Schlatt is a lot easier to talk to when he isn't drunk off his ass. Not that it makes it any better. He's still a fucking asshole. "We're stuck together, Wilbur. Might as well make the best out of it."

Wilbur scoffs, walking away from him. "Fuck off. You literally drove me to the point of insanity," his mind is a hell of a lot clearer now. There's less fog, less paranoia. Everything is a lot easier to process. "And what, you want to reconcile now? I don't want to talk to you. I want you out of my purgatory." Schlatt barks out a laugh, and it's sharp and harsh and angry. 

" _Your_ purgatory?" Schlatt snorts, flipping himself back upright. "I think this is _my_ purgatory, asshole. I was here first."

"You died first," Wilbur reminds him, moving to grab a sheet of glass. It's shockingly unshattered. So far, he's figured out that no one can see him. They can see things move and be picked up, and he's already accidentally revealed himself to Niki and Tommy. Even though he's not entirely sure how he feels about government, he still plans on helping Tubbo rule. Tubbo's easily swayed by people he trusts, so Wilbur might as well make sure he has some good influencers. "Which you deserved, after you stole my country." 

Schlatt scoffs. "I didn't steal shit, Wilbur. I was elected. Via _your_ election. I was literally elected, and I was made President. I didn't steal anything. I ran for President, I got it. You're still butthurt over that?" He rolls his eyes. "Listen. I've got no fucking clue what my unfinished business is, and neither do you. So until we do, we're stuck with each other. We might as well try to not hate each other. Here, let's reconcile," Schlatt floats next to him, his head supported by his hands. "My name is Schlatt, I'm a businessman. I'm really good at getting people to do what I want them to do, and I also had a bit of a drinking problem."

"Fuck off," Wilbur drags the pane of glass off to the side, wondering where the hell they plan on putting everything. There's too much rubble to just burn, and there isn't enough land to make a dump. They'll figure it out, he knows that. "I don't want to have anything to do with you. Why are you so intent on talking on me?"

"You don't like being alone," Schlatt tells him. "Remember the water? Remember the lava, and the bombs, and everything we did together? You always relied on someone else to be there, 'cause you fucking hate being alone. I know you, Wilbur. I know you _damn_ well, and I.." Schlatt huffs, turning away from him. "You can't fuckin' talk to them. Barely any of them know you exist, and half of them are probably glad you're dead."

"That's a low blow, Schlatt."

"Yeah, well, you're being a bitch," Schlatt turns back to face him, eyes narrowed sharply. "We don't have to be friends. But you're gonna go insane if you've got no one to talk to other than yourself, and I'm not sharing my space with a goddamn lunatic. I can't talk to anyone, either, and they also hate me. So, there's that. We've got each other, and that's it."

Wilbur rolls his eyes. "I've got L'manberg."

"Manberg."

" _L_ 'manberg," Wilbur corrects. "You're dead, Tubbo's the President, you've got no say in what it's called. It's called L'manberg." Schlatt shrugs, looking more annoyed than he had.

"Whatever. L'manberg," he says the word all wrong, with too much emphasis on the "berg". Wilbur moves farther away from him, scooping up some of the splintered wood into his arms. "Anyways," Schlatt leans against the pile of trash next to him, giving him a grin. Wilbur wants to beat him to death. Unfortunately, he's already tried to kill Schlatt once, and he can't. He can't even hurt him, and Schlatt can't hurt him, either. It's bullshit. "Tubbo's a good kid. He'll do well."

"You traumatised him."

"Techno traumatised him when he shot him with fireworks."

"You told him to do that." 

Schlatt pauses. "Yeah, I guess I did do that. I was pretty drunk," he shrugs. "Don't remember much other than Tommy nearly killing himself to get to him."

"He's his best friend," Wilbur scoffs. "Of course he tried to help."

"I'm not saying that it was stupid," Schlatt shrugs, holding up his hands. "Just saying. He'll be a good President. He's got a lot of people backing him. Tommy's impulsive and Tubbo isn't, so that'll balance out well. Eret is smart, but he's also willing to switch sides depending on who offers the most power. Niki, well," Schlatt laughs, ducking his head. "You know all about Niki."

"She hated you."

"She still does," Schlatt grins. "I'm not all that beaten up about it. I'll let her punch me in the face the next time we meet, how's that sound? I know you're protective over her."

"I'm not," Wilbur scoffs, throwing the plank of wood towards a pool of water. "She's too good of a person for me."

"And I'm not?"

Wilbur turns to stare at him, annoyance pulsing through his head. "You're worse than I am." Schlatt raises an eyebrow, leaning a little closer to him. 

"I don't think I blew up my country, now did I? And then you killed yourself, or did you get your daddy to do that? You left everyone else to pick up your mess, you orphaned your son. Tommy and Techno don't have a brother anymore, and Phil's lost himself a kid. So.." Schlatt shrugs, trailing off. "I think I'm about on par with you. Not worse. If it makes you feel better, they're making you a grave. I don't think I'm getting one."

"Good," Wilbur crosses his arms. He isn't going to be able to get any work done with Schlatt bothering him. "You don't deserve one. I don't even know where they put your body. I hope they burnt it." 

"Well," Schlatt laughs, "that's just rude. I'm not entirely sure, either. Not like it matters. Nothing really matters when you're dead. Anyways, back to what I was trying to tell you. Fundy is smart, he's really good at undermining everyone, though. You raised him well," his voice is a little softer, and Wilbur _really_ wants to punch him. "He'll be good for keeping track of shit. He's a good guy, a little impulsive. He lets his emotions control him more than he controls them, but that can be worked on. And Quackity, he's.." Schlatt sighs. "He's stubborn, headstrong. He'll help with what he can, but if he wants something done, it isn't going to matter if Tubbo told him to not do it or not."

Wilbur nods, watching as Eret helps Fundy lift up a beam. "Fundy and Eret will stick together. Everyone from the original L'manberg will. Quackity's the only real outsider here." 

"Eh," Schlatt smiles. "He'll be fine. He adapts pretty quickly. You do know that Techno's trying to kill everyone in L'manberg, right?" Wilbur sighs. 

"Yeah. I'm trying not to think of that. Diplomacy and all that." 

Schlatt laughs, his eyes crinkling a little. It's been a while since Wilbur's heard that laugh. Not the maniacal cackle Schlatt normally uses, but just a regular laugh. Who knew they'd have to die before they could talk to each other again. "Tubbo isn't going to kill him. He's not going to start a war or anything, but..Fundy's _pissed_. Have you noticed that? He misses you. He's gonna try to kill Techno out of revenge, and then he's going to die. And that's gonna spiral everything, because Quackity and Eret will try to kill Techno in honour of Fundy, and they'll die. And at that point, Tommy and Tubbo are either going to die, or they'll run. Niki will be fine," Schlatt sighs. "She always manages to survive this kind of shit, no matter what she does." Wilbur snorts, quietly agreeing. 

"She's smarter than anyone gives her credit for. Stronger, too. I'm assuming that once everyone dies, they'll come back here." Schlatt gives him a half-hearted shrug. 

"Dunno. Maybe, maybe not. It'd get crowded awfully quickly if that was the case. Well," Schlatt pushes himself off of the rubble, clapping his hands together. "Whaddya say, Wilbur? Wanna try to get back to smoochin' status?" 

Wilbur laughs, wishing that he could suppress it. He and Schlatt used to be good friends, before everything happened. They used to be best friends, even. 

"Yeah," he smiles, taking Schlatt's hand. "Fuck it. Let's be friends."


	2. closure

"That was the meanest thing you've ever fucking done," Schlatt rubs the top of his head, glaring at Wilbur. "Here I was, really thinking that you'd finally try to stop being a bitch, and you try to murder me with a goddamn plank of wood?" He scoffs, wincing at the pain in his skull. The universe won't let them kill each other, but clearly they're still allowed to hurt each other. Whatever. "You're such an asshole. I didn't even plan on doing anything to you, and you just-"

Wilbur raises a hand, pressing his fingers in between his eyes. "Can you shut up for _one_ minute?" Schlatt rolls his eyes. 

"Thirty seconds, if you're lucky. Start talking, pretty boy," Wilbur glares at him, curling his lip up in disgust. "You're down to twenty." 

"Can you just leave me the fuck alone?" Wilbur scoffs. "I don't want anything to do with you, and I fucking hate you. You're annoying and I don't want to spend the rest of purgatory with you. Can't you go back to water rising, or where you pushed me into a goddamn pit of lava? You don't have to stay here." 

Schlatt rolls his eyes, leaning up against the podium. Tubbo plans on tearing it down, he's fairly certain. "You really think I haven't tried?" He raises an eyebrow, watching as his old friend just stares at him. "The first thing I did was try to leave. I didn't want to be here," Schlatt closes his eyes, listening to Quackity and Fundy talk about propaganda. He isn't all that surprised. "I tried to go back to water rising. It didn't work, so I guess I'm just supposed to stay here." 

Wilbur is quiet for a bit, thank god. He talks too fucking much. "I'm going to go back to an old world," Wilbur tells him, standing up, cracking his knuckles. "You know all about it. It was before you stole my country."

"Wilbur, I didn't steal _shit_ ," Schlatt sighs. "Can you get that through your fucking skull? Jesus Christ, big guy. I was elected. I won fairly, there wasn't even any tampering. I won, and you didn't. It's Tubbo's country now, asshole. Stop trying to make this all about you," he stands up, crossing his arms as he faces Wilbur. "I don't particularly remember you being a fan of lava rising. Or the bombs that fell from the sky. Are you going to the invisible island? Do you remember the.." he laughs, grinning at his old friend. "Remember the talent show? Hedgehogs, eh?" Schlatt can pretend like he doesn't see the grin Wilbur tries to hide. 

"That was a long time. We were different people back then. You were less of a dick."

"And you were less of an ass," Schlatt snorts. "You're so high and mighty. You're just as fucked as the rest of us, you know that, right? What's up with you thinking you're better than I am? You did the same thing I did," he leans forwards. "You undermined the government, didn't you? You took Dream's land from him, you almost killed people. Tommy almost died in that duel 'cause of you, do you remember that, Wilbur?" 

Wilbur looks away, crossing his arms. "We're not the same." 

"We kinda are," he shrugs. "You were barely even an adult back then. Weren't you, like, the same age as Tommy? I was a little older than you. Maybe by a month," Schlatt sighs, his mind flickering back to the talent show. A lot happened there, so much..that was the first time he met Wilbur. "And you got up on stage and you started to sing, and it was that stupid fucking song about e-girls, and everyone fell in love with you," Schlatt laughs. "You won, you know." 

"I know," Wilbur refuses to look at him. "I wanted you to win. I thought you were funny."

"I am funny," Schlatt confirms. "I'd like to go back there. The stage was nice, I liked..it was nice, you know? I wonder if any of the guys are still alive." 

"They didn't go to war, as far as I'm aware," Wilbur sighs. "Maybe they're fine. I don't know, I don't care. I never got particularly attached to any of them."

Schlatt rolls his eyes. "Where there's a Will," he grins, brushing past the man. "Okay, Wilbur. I'm gonna go try to help Tubbo govern this place, and if you're not gonna be a little bitch about it, you can come with me."

"He doesn't like you."

"He doesn't have to. He needs someone who knows politics, and I'm the best one of us to teach him that. He'll need to establish a secretary, shit like that. He can't just rule alone, you know. That's how I got fucked," Schlatt pats his old friend's shoulder, moving to go find Tubbo. "Don't worry, Soot. I'm not going to teach him anything bad. I just want him to know the terms."

"Shocking, that you're not trying to corrupt him." Schlatt wishes that he was allowed to punch him. The universe intervenes when they try to hurt each other with their fists. But the plank of wood was fine, apparently. Fucking asshole of a universe. 

"He's a kid, Wilbur. Believe it or not, I actually like him. He's like a little brother to me. Kind of like how Tommy's yours. He'll be a good leader, but he'll be even better if he knows what the fuck he's doing. Kid's gonna need all the support he can get."

Wilbur is silent. 

For the first time in a while, Schlatt wishes he wasn't.

"I'm not going to try to kill you again," Wilbur sighs. "I wish you were dead, but the universe won't let me, so I guess we can just..coexist. We're not friends."

"For now," Schlatt grins, turning back to look at Wilbur. "Come on. I'll tell you some more jokes after we help Tubbo learn how the fuck to be a President."

And so they walk side by side, and it isn't nearly as bad as Schlatt thinks it could be.


	3. talk

"This isn't going to work," Wilbur sighs, leaning up against the rubble of the podium. Tubbo and Tommy ended up making it into something more house like, with the entire layout completely different than it had been. "You can't even talk to him," Schlatt rolls his eyes, holding up a pen and pointing it at him. "What, you're going to write to him? He's going to freak the fuck out, Schlatt."

Schlatt snorts. "Nah. You suck, you know that?" He moves to grab a piece of paper, scribbling a few lines down. "See? It works. I'll pretend to be you, if you want. Hell, I'll fake being literally anyone. Kid's gonna need some structure, and I've got plenty," Schlatt puffs his chest out, throwing himself up on Tubbo's desk, crossing his legs as he lays back. "They're doing good. Fundy and Quackity are trying to kill Techno."

"I know."

"Does it bother you?"

Wilbur shrugs, looking away from him. They've mostly been making houses out of spruce, stone, and oak. It looks really good, and he's started to notice a pattern with the buildings. They're all on stilts, and he wonders why. Sure, they're technically built on a canal, but it was never all that prominent when he was alive. Wilbur knows that Tommy isn't going to be able to kill Techno, and neither is Tubbo. Quackity and Fundy are the only two that he really has to be concerned about. Even though Techno..Techno did some of this. This wasn't all him. Admittedly, he did a lot of damage, but Techno summoned _Withers_. How he even managed to do that, Wilbur doesn't know. It's what he gets for underestimating Techno.

"He's my brother," Wilbur murmurs. "Of course it bothers me." 

"Well," Schlatt shifts a little. "You can stop them. You're not powerless, Wilbur. You're not anymore powerful than the rest of us, but you're not fucking _weak_. Plus, you're dead. They can't hurt you," he shrugs. "Oh, here he comes. Look at hi- oh," Wilbur turns to look where Schlatt's looking, frowning. "The hell's he wearing that suit for?"

"You literally bought it for him," Wilbur scoffs, crossing his arms. "You don't think it fits him anymore, now that you're dead? It's your brand, Schlatt."

"Obviously it's my brand," Schlatt throws himself off of the desk, annoyance shining in his eyes. "But shouldn't he be wearing your guys' uniform? The revolutionary uniform, the one you made them."

Wilbur frowns. "Why do you care?"

"Maybe if you shut the fuck up and listened to me, you'd know," Schlatt sneers at him. "Thank god he's alone. If things go badly, don't blame me."

"I'm going to blame you."

"Figures," he sighs. Wilbur watches as Schlatt moves the pen in front of Tubbo's face, watches as the kid's eyes go huge. "There we go." 

"What the hell..?" Tubbo looks around, pushing himself up against the wall. "Uh, Tommy? Fundy, Eret? Niki? Quackity? _Sam_? This isn't..I don't really think that this is..what?" Schlatt sets the paper down to the desk, hunching over it. Wilbur watches as he scribbles out something. The paper is held up in front of Tubbo a second later, and he watches as the President frowns. " _Schlatt_."

"He's pissed," Wilbur tells him, leaning up against the doorframe. "You've fucked it. You hear his voice, Schlatt? He's scared. He's scared of you."

"What's up with you just being an asshole?" Schlatt asks, his voice echoing too close to Wilbur's ears. "Fuck you, dude. Tubbo's not scared, he's just surprised. Maybe if you spent a little more time with him, you'd realise that."

"I wasn't fucking allowed to," Wilbur scoffs. "You kicked me out of my home, Schlatt. I didn't have a cha-"

"Before that, dickhead," Schlatt huffs. "Back when the first war ended. You never even spent time with him, did you? You just forgot he existed," Schlatt writes something down, holding the paper back up. "You never gave a shit about him, huh, Wilbur? You always just left him behind. If it wasn't for Tommy, I bet you'd have just left him behind, right? You wouldn't have taken him under your wing. You would have just let him in the dust. You always did, right? You always fucking left him behind, and you would have kept doing it if Tommy didn't start to call you out for it. You never cared, did you? You just fucki-"

"Shut up!" Wilbur shouts, whirling around to shove Schlatt. He hits a barrier in front of him, stumbling back. "Fuck you. _Fuck_ you. You know nothing," he sneers, curling his lip. "You fucking tried to kill him, you _prick_. You shoved him into a cell and you fucking had Techno shoot him point blank. You almost _did_ kill him!" Wilbur hisses, his hands shaking by his side. "You're always so quick to judge me, but you never look at yourself, you're such a shit excuse of a _person_. God, you're fucking pathetic." 

Schlatt laughs, leaning in closer to him. "You're just upset because I'm right, yeah?" He grins, and Wilbur wants to kill him. "I don't have to pretend, Wilbur. I was an alcoholic and I hurt everyone who came close to me. I would have killed Quackity and Tubbo eventually. I would have done it, and I wouldn't have felt bad about it. But look at me now, Wilbur. I'm all alcohol free, I'm free of that. Seems to me like your insanity didn't entirely get purged when you were brought here," he turns back around, holding up the paper again. "The difference between you and I, Wilbur, is that I can admit to my mistakes."

"Oh, that's fucking bullshit," Wilbur scoffs. "You're shit at that. You always think you're in the right, and whenever people don't agree with you, you try to fucking murder them."

"Water rising," Schlatt murmurs. "You broke into our house and smashed my windows. You tried to flood me out so I'd go with you. I didn't want to, and so you fucking made me. I didn't have a choice," he turns around, slamming the paper on the desk. "You _made_ me! I didn't want to leave that house, I was safe, I was fu- I was _fine_ , and you smashed my windows. If I didn't leave, I would have drowned. You made me leave. You made me come to you."

Wilbur stares at him. "You're delusional if you thought the water wasn't going to flood into your house eventually."

"So you made it happen?" Schlatt stares at him, and Wilbur wishes he could look away. "So you broke my windows? You tried to kill me to prove a point? I can admit when I'm wrong, Wilbur. I'm a piece of shit, ex-alcoholic. I'm a sad, pathetic man who tries to rule the world through power and money. I'm an asshole. I'm a dick. You heard that?" Schlatt scoffs. "You fucking heard me say it, didn't you? It's true, and I know it. I don't have to lie to myself. I don't have to pretend. You do," he turns back around, picking up the paper. "You're lying to yourself. You were never the hero. You're just like everyone else. You just can't believe that, can you? You want to be different, you want to be _special_. You want people to know who you are, and you don't care how you have to do it. So you hide it under the guise that you're the good guy, even when you're fucking not." 

"I'm not.."

"And when that didn't work, you decided you still liked the attention. You wanted to get more attention, so you blew up L'manberg. You did that for what, Wilbur? Because you wanted to?"

"I wasn't thinking clearly!" Wilbur shouts. "I wasn't fucking..I wasn't..I didn't..."

"Yeah," Schlatt starts to write again. "You never fucking do."

Wilbur blinks, feeling his heart sink to the bottom of his chest. 

He turns away, stalking out of Tubbo's office.

Wilbur refuses to give Schlatt the victory.


	4. anaerobic

_I know that you don't like me, and I understand. But, that's not really all that important right now. Sorry about having Techno shoot you. I know you don't believe that, but that's okay. I wouldn't believe me, either. Anyways, we need to talk about politics. I know you'd rather talk to Wilbur, but he's throwing a tantrum right now, and I'm the literal politician, anyways. Let's start off with some basics, yeah?_

_Tommy is going to be your VP, which I think is a good idea. He's headstrong, stubborn, and a bit of a dick, so he compliments you nicely. That means that you two are opposites, and opposites do well with each other. You need a lot of pushing to do something, whereas he kind of just does it without thinking. You'll work well. Plus, he's your best friend! Your right hand man! You'll do good things together._

_Fundy is awfully smart, but he's also a fucking weasel. Just be careful around him. I'm not saying he'll betray you, but he's got his own morals in mind, and he's definitely willing to do whatever he has to do for them. He'll be a good secretary, but he'd probably be an even better treasurer. Treasurers keep shit in line, like money and all of that. He'd also be a good military commander, he's actually really good at figuring things out. Just keep an eye on him, okay?_

_Quackity is the best secretary you'll get. Ultimately, he'll probably follow you until the end of time, unless you do something to seriously piss him off. He's got a hard time being on his own, and he needs to be around people who like him. Make sure that you talk to your advisors and the people around you, yeah? They're the ones helping you, and if you don't want a mutiny, you're going to need to know the people who matter. Big Q is good at keeping track of things, and so is Fundy. Quackity's a little more opinionated than Fundy when it comes to their jobs, but he should be fine._

_Niki will be a good advisor, and so will Eret. Niki is way too nice, but she isn't an idiot. She's strong and smart, and it takes a lot to seriously piss her off. She wants what's best for L'manberg, and she isn't going to let anything happen to it. She can be mean when she wants to be, trust me. She's slapped the shit out of me before, and it HURT. Physically. Eret cancels her out pretty well, he sees the more logical side of things. And if you consult with me, I'll give you the straight facts._

_Like right now, you're doing good. You're rebuilding L'manberg and setting things back up, which is good. You need to focus more on your food and water sources, because that isn't going to be done for you now. Start rebuilding the farms, ask Niki to start up a bakery. Eret's pretty desperate to prove his loyalty to you, so get him to start farming. He'll do it, I promise. Get out there and do the dirty work, too. Don't just leave it up to everyone else, make sure to prove that you're in it for them, too. Ultimately, they're your people, and they decide if you stay or go. Make sure you don't give them a reason to kill you, got it?_

_L'manberg is built on a canal, but you'll still need to set up purification and all that. It should be easy enough, Eret and Fundy have done it before. Also, Phil is going to be good to get neutral input. He'll tell you how it is, and you trust him instead of me. Show him this letter, and see what he agrees on and what he doesn't. I'm probably not 100% right, but I think I'm pretty close. Anyways, yeah. I suggest keeping a close eye on Techno. He's got a thing against government, and if you can make a peace treaty with him, that'd be good. Something like, he's not part of your land and rule, but he can come over there if he wants, so long as he doesn't blow shit up. Just basic human decency._

_Even if he is a pig._

_But hey, unimportant! Talk with Tommy about the Techno situation, he'll be a lot more sympathetic. But don't let your emotions guide you on this one, Tubbo. You're the President now, and you need to act like one. Not saying you have to be an asshole, but you need to be a little more tough on your words, you know? Don't let people step all over you._

_I think you're gonna go far, Tubbo. You're a smart kid, I believe in you._

_\- Schlatt :)_

* * *

"So, like I was saying," Tubbo props up his legs on his desk, immediately looking guilty when he does. "Quackity and Fundy have been trying to start a war with Techno. Tommy's not entirely against it, but we _just_ started to rebuild, and I don't know what to do. Am I supposed to just..tell them no? What if they don't listen? And Phil, I don't know who he's really with. 'Cause Tommy 'nd Techno are his _sons_ , and so he can't really just pick, but I'm..I'm nervous, you know?" 

Schlatt nods, even if Tubbo can't see him. "I know big guy, I know," he hovers behind him, staring down at the papers on Tubbo's desk. Half of them are from him, and the other half are reports from Fundy. "You need to talk to Quackity and Fundy about it. Dancing around the problem isn't gonna do shit, Tubbo."

"I don't know what to do," Tubbo sighs. "I really wish I did. I don't know why Wilbur decided to make me President. Everyone thinks that I'll be able to do it, but there's so much I don't know, and I'm really nervous, and I- I think Tommy would've done a lot better. Wilbur would have done a lot better. I know he started to go insane and all that, but he was always so much better at this than I was. And, um, so were you. Until you went fucking mental, but I guess you always were mental. I wish the election never happened. I wish Wilbur had won."

"Yeah," Schlatt sighs, reaching out to grab his piece of paper again, clicking his pen. "But it is what it is, big guy. Talk to Fundy and Quackity and tell them to stop," he writes it down as he says it. "You can't let them do things that you don't want them to do, especially when you just started to fix things up, you got it? They'll listen to you. I know it seems like they won't, but you gotta be confident. If you're not, they'll walk all over you." 

Tubbo frowns at the paper, narrowing his eyes as he reads over it. "But, I..I don't want them to _hate_ me, you know? I don't want to stop them from doing anything. Fundy is Wilbur's son, Schlatt, of course he's upset. And Quackity, I..I've got no clue why he'd want to kill Techno, but I get why Fundy's angry. He's an orphan now, isn't he? That's how it works, so.." Tubbo sighs. "I'll have to have Tommy in the room with me. Does anyone else know you're alive? Sorry, not..not alive, but, you know, like..yeah." Schatt smiles fondly. 

"Nah, just you," he writes it down. "You need to talk to Phil, Tubbo." Tubbo scowls down at the words. 

"I know, I know," he murmurs. "I'm just nervous. Can I do it tomorrow?" He pauses. "Well, I don't need your permission. I can do whatever I want."

"Don't," Schlatt crosses his arms. "Don't get into that mindset. You can do a lot of things, but you need advisors and you need boundaries. You can't be a tyrant, Tubbo. You know better than that." 

Tubbo breathes out. "I- yeah, sorry. I didn't mean it like that, I'm..I wouldn't do that. Where's Wilbur?"

"Throwing a fit," Schlatt snorts. scribbling the words as fast as he can. "He's such a fucking drama queen," he pauses, turning to look out at L'manberg. He hasn't seen Wilbur since they argued. Which is fine, it's fucking whatever. He doesn't care. "Listen, I've got important ghosty shit to do, okay, Tubbo? I'm gonna head out. I'll be around." 

"Okay!" Tubbo smiles, his eyes sparkling in the dim light. "I..thank you. I'm supposed to hate you, and I do, but..thank you, Schlatt. Seriously."

"Of course, big guy," Schlatt smiles, turning away from his paper and Tubbo. "I'll see you tomorrow," he starts to walk, frowning when his legs go through the floor. It's been a while since he stopped being physical. Weird. "What the fuck," Schlatt breathes out, frowning when he- " _Not again_." 

_Schlatt opens his eyes, flailing his arms as he desperately tries to swim up, gasping for air. Water fills his lungs, swirling and settling. He can see Wilbur walking away from him, he can see him looming up above. Schlatt feels glass cutting his arms, feels it embedded in his chest and his head and fuck he's going to die again he doesn't want to die again dying is so angry and it hurts and Wilbur is just staring at him he's just watching he'sjustwatchingwhyishejustwatching-_

Schlatt gasps, doubling over, clutching his stomach. He collapses to the ground, his head resting against the stone floor. "Fuck," he whispers, breathing in as much air as he can. " _Fuck_ ," Schlatt drags himself into a ball, forcing himself to not hyperventilate. He breathes in, closing his eyes as he focuses on not dying again. After a few minutes, he sorts himself back up, pushing himself up against the wall. Where is he? Schlatt looks around, blinking at the cooler colours around him. "What?" 

He stares out at the chairs, at the lack of an audience. _Oh_. Schlatt laughs, standing up. "Hedgehogs, eh?" He laughs again, running a hand through his hair. "Hey, uh..I know I was arguing with Wilbur like, two minutes ago, but.." his voice echoes too much. Schlatt hates it. "I'm not fucking done."

 _You are_ , a voice tells him, _it is time to go_.

"No," Schlatt crosses his arms, looking around to try to find the voice. "I've got shit to do. One, Tubbo can't do government alone. Two, Wilbur is.." he sighs. "Listen, dude. He's a fucking asshole and I really don't think I like him all that much, but he'll be left alone if I'm gone. And he _just_ got over his little insanity bit, you know? I'm not going anywhere. Take me back to L'manberg."

_He hates you. He hates you and he wants you gone._

"No shit, dude," Schlatt snorts. "But I'm also an asshole, and he doesn't get to live scot-free after the shit he pulled. Take me back. _Now_."

There's a long pause. 

_Fine. He will go first, then._

"Okay," Schlatt rolls his eyes, feeling like he's drowning again. He forces himself to stay calm, and he watches as he's thrown back into L'manberg, coughing. Water pours out of his mouth, and he wipes it away with the side of his arm. He looks over at the sun, watching as it starts to rise. "Hey, Wilbur." 

"You've come to insult me?" 

Schlatt rolls his eyes. "No. It's okay, you won't have to deal with me for much longer," he takes his spot next to him. This is Tommy and Tubbo's bench, he realises. It feels wrong to sit here, but he does it anyways. "I just got thrown back to the talent show stage. I decided to come back, but.." he closes his eyes. "You'll be going. Unless you'd prefer to stay here."

Wilbur turns to stare at him. "Why did you come back?"

"Why not?" He smiles. "Tubbo's still gonna need some guidance. I'm not too keen on living on my own," he leans back against the bench. "I wonder what's after this."

"Nothingness," Wilbur tells him. "There's nothing after this."

"How do you know?" 

Wilbur is silent for a long time. "I've already gone." 

"Oh. You came back?"

"Yes," Wilbur sighs. "I..I don't like.."

"Yeah," Schlatt nods. "I know." 

They don't say anything else, and for the first time in a while, Schlatt's okay with the silence.


	5. morality

Wilbur is not in the wrong. 

There is absolutely no way. 

He fought for his country, he fought to get rid of Schlatt. Schlatt was a tyrant, and Wilbur had to get rid of him. Schlatt drove him fucking insane, quite literally. He literally drove him to the point of insanity. He abused everyone who was left around him, and Wilbur had to put a stop to it. So he did. And Schlatt has the fucking _audacity_ to tell him that _he's_ wrong?

Wilbur doesn't believe that for shit, and he isn't going to. 

But..Schlatt was elected. Wilbur held that election, and he had been so confident that he was going to win, and then he _didn't_. He was so sure, he was absolutely positive. He thought that he would win, and that he'd be the legally elected President. But Schlatt won. Schlatt won, and he..

No.

Schlatt is wrong, Wilbur isn't. He's not fucking wrong, not when it comes to this. He was wrong blowing up L'manberg, but he was completely out of it. Right now, with a clear head, Wilbur knows that that was bad. That was wrong, that was _bad_. He should have never done that, but it's too late to change anything. Schlatt might have been a drunk asshole, but there were times where he wasn't drinking, where he had moments of clarity, surely. Wilbur never got that. He got frayed thin, his mind shattering as the weight and pressure pressed down against it. 

"Hey, big guy," he resists the urge to sigh at the sudden presence of Schlatt. No matter where Wilbur goes, Schlatt always manages to find him. He doesn't even have his stupid suit on, not anymore. He has a sky blue sweater, one that Wilbur recognises very well. It was what he wore in water rising, it was what he was wearing when he pushed him into lava. Wilbur wishes that Schlatt would make it easier to hate him. "Tubbo's been asking for you, Wilbur. He's wondering why the hell you won't talk to him."

"Like you'd let me," he scoffs, staring out at L'manberg. _New_ L'manberg, he corrects himself. Tubbo's been calling it New L'manberg, which is really is. They've been doing such a good job fixing everything and rebuilding, and Wilbur..he's proud. Tubbo has really started to take charge, and Tommy's been helping him the entire time. "You've already got it under control, don't you?"

Schlatt scoffs, going silent for a minute. "God, you're such a fucking asshole!" Wilbur jumps at the sudden shouting, whirling around to stare at Schlatt. His calm demeanour is entirely gone, replaced with pure, raw rage. "What the fuck is wrong with you?" He screams, grabbing Wilbur by the shirt collar. "What the _fuck?_ God, you're so fucking pathetic and disgusting, I fucking.." Schlatt breathes out, shoving him back. "What the _fuck_ ," he laughs, turning away from Wilbur. "You're so fucking stupid. You're _so_ fucking..I can't believe you. You don't even talk to Tommy or Phil, you don't even talk to _Fundy!_ He's your son!"

"He doesn't want to talk to me!" Wilbur shouts back, rage boiling in his chest. "You don't just get to fucking assume what he wants, he doesn't want to even visit my grave!"

"He visits all the fucking time!" Schlatt whirls around to face him again, his eyes narrowed. "He visits you every single fucking day, and he always talks about how much he misses you. He's so angry at you, he's mad that you didn't even say goodbye. He's mad that you never fucking talk to him. He knows damn well that you're around, and you just won't..you won't even _speak_ to him," he laughs, rolling his eyes. "Maybe it's just because I'm not drunk anymore, but it's kind of fucking obvious that everyone likes me more than you."

"Oh, that's _bullshit_ ," Wilbur sneers at him. "I was their President! I-"

"Do you even fucking hear yourself?" Schlatt snarls. "Tommy _misses_ you. He wants to talk to you, but you don't even come around anymore. Phil wants to talk to you because he's _sorry_ , and you won't even look at him. Fundy cries himself to sleep 'cause he misses his goddamn _dad_ , and you don't give a shit. Niki talks to you all the time, and she always, always waits for you to say something back, and you _never fucking do_. Every single one of them has been _begging_ for you to come back, to talk to them, and you _won't_. Tubbo is scared, Wilbur! He's scared! He's afraid that he'll mess everything up, and he doesn't want to bother anyone with his worries and shit. He's afraid that he's going to be a bad President, and I've been trying to tell him that's not true, but he doesn't fucking trust me."

Schlatt breathes in, a humourless laugh escaping him. "You know who he trusts, Wilbur? You. He trusts you. He asks me to bring you with every single time I talk to him, and I have to explain that you actually don't want to talk to him. That you'd rather come out here and just fucking..sulk. You're.." he scoffs. "I fucking hate you. I thought that I knew you. You've changed so much from water rising. Even if you tried to drown me, you did it 'cause you thought it was _right_ , and I can _understand_ that. You don't even look like him," Schlatt snorts. "Just look at yourself. The only thing that's stayed the same is your sweater, and that's it. Have you even seen your own skin? You're grey, Wilbur. Your eyes are white and you look _nothing_ like what you used to." 

"You.."

"Don't," Schlatt turns away from him, shaking his head. "Don't fucking start. You don't get to say shit to me after this. You're so stuck in your shitty excuses that you won't even _listen_ to me, and I'm so _angry_. I'm so fucking angry, Wilbur. You think I want to do this?" He spins back around. "You think I want to spend hours of my day talking to Niki to try to even get on the _idea_ of reconciliation? I've been talking to Quackity and Fundy, telling them to not fucking do shit behind Tubbo's back. I've been spending every single hour of my afterlife making sure that everything finally works out for them, and you're just sat here. Doing _nothing_. I spend _hours_ talking to Eret about how we'll get him his kingship back. I talk to Tommy everyday and have to tell him that his brother doesn't fucking love him enough to say hi. I go talk to Phil every single day, too. I tell him about you, and he wishes that you'd come to see everyone. He misses you."

Wilbur feels..

He feels cold.

"I don't..I don't.." he whispers, hands shaking. He's shaking. He's shaking so badly, he's so..why is he..where...

He hears a sigh, one filled with so many emotions he can't even pick one and-

"Breathe," warmth spreads out through his shoulders, moving down to his chest. " _Breathe_ , you fucking idiot. I know you're dead, but you still have to breathe," Wilbur wishes he could recognise the voice. He's so cold. He's so cold, he's so cold, he's _so-_ " _Wilbur_ ," the voice repeats his name, and he feels himself choke out a sob. What did he do? Why did he do it? What's _wrong_ with him? "Breathe, come on. In and out, big guy, in and out." 

"I'm sorry," he whispers. He doesn't know why he's saying sorry. "I'm so sorry."

"Yeah? Good. You should be," the voice murmurs. "Come on, big guy. You need to calm down. You're already starting to fade," Wilbur feels arms around him, feels himself start to get warm again. "Do you remember..uh, New Milo?" The name sends memories shooting to his head, tears falling a little faster. "We can go and visit him, yeah? Go to the ocean, walk around a bit. Maybe we'll head back to the talent show, you can get up on stage again and sing, and I'll tell some jokes." 

"We can't. We can't leave."

The voice hums in agreement, and Wilbur starts to recognise the way it sounds, the patterns and phrases it uses as familiar. "Not yet. I'll figure it out. That's all I've been doing, just..figuring it out. Breathe out, Wilbur. Remember when we went up to the top of the world in water rising? When we finally managed to escape everything, and we just looked out? We watched the sun set, and I think you nearly stabbed me when I called it a date," the voice, _Schlatt_ , laughs. "Then there was the- you remember the bombs in the sky, right? Right, Virgo?" 

"Yeah," Wilbur whispers, feeling himself fade back to reality, the arms around him becoming much more solid. "I do. Blades." 

"You said it wrong," Schlatt murmurs. "It's Bladez, with a 'z'. You feelin' better, big guy?"

Wilbur closes his eyes, letting himself lean into Schlatt's hug. "I'm lucid, but I feel worse."

"Good," Schlatt smiles, Wilbur can hear it in his voice. "You should feel awful. Not because of the attack, but because of what you're doing. You know damn well that you're in the wrong here, right?"

"I..I am," Wilbur whispers. "I'm wrong," he hears his voice crack and break. "I'm sorry."

"You don't gotta apologise to me," Schlatt squeezes him a little tighter. "Listen, man. I'm..I'm not going anywhere, okay? We're all we have left. Until you manage to get yourself off your sorry ass and get to L'manberg, you're stuck with me. We'll do it tomorrow. Let's just chill tonight. I think you need that."

Wilbur lets himself relax, feeling the tension in his body slowly melt away. "I don't like it when you're right. I don't like you. But..I..yeah. Thank you, Schlatt."

"Any time, big guy," Schlatt laughs. "What else are friends for other than to beat the shit out of you and bring you down from a panic attack?" Wilbur laughs, and he lets the conversation delve into a comfortable silence. 

Schlatt was right. 

He _is_ the bad guy. But he can fix it. 

And he will. 


	6. routine

Schlatt walks up the stairs to Tubbo's office in New L'manberg, whistling to himself as he does. He's earlier than usual, but that's just because he didn't want to have to deal with Wilbur anymore than he already had to. Schlatt loves him, really - Wilbur's probably his best and only friend, but _still_. He's being a fucking asshole, and Schlatt is sick and tired of having to see him every single day. At least he finally managed to yell some sense into him, but he isn't sure if it'll be enough. He hopes that it will be. He shuffles his papers, silently wishing that he had kept his suit. He doesn't like wearing it, but at least it fucking had _pockets_. 

"Schlatt?" Tubbo asks, tilting his head as he walks into his office, sitting himself down at his desk. "Are you here yet?"

Schlatt smiles, tapping his pen on the desk. "Of course I am, big guy. Where else would I even go?" He knows that he doesn't have to respond to Tubbo, but he likes to do it, anyways. Even if Tubbo can't hear or see him. "Well, what I've got today is some practice. Technoblade comes up to you and threatens to bomb New L'manberg if you don't immediately step down from power," Schlatt sets his notes on Tubbo's desk in front of him, smiling. "What do you do?" He watches as Tubbo reads over the words, frowning a bit. Schlatt's tried his best to write in a way that'll be easy for Tubbo to understand, but he doesn't know how to do it so it'll help with his dyslexia. He's trying, but he's still got no fucking idea if it's enough. 

"Oh, well," Tubbo taps his fingers against his desk. "I guess I'd..well," he pauses. "I don't know. Would I still be allowed to live in New L'manberg, with everyone else? We just couldn't have a government, is that okay? Because if that's what his deal would be, yeah, I'd take it. So long as I'm still allowed to live and build here with everyone else, I don't need to be President." Schlatt smiles, feeling his heart swell. God, he wishes he was a smart as Tubbo. He is, in a way. But Tubbo is more emotionally aware, he's so in tune with everyone else, and it's fucking _amazing_. 

"You're such a smart kid, man," Schlatt laughs, reaching out to write out his response on another sheet of paper. "I like that answer. I don't know if that's what would happen because Techno's unpredictable, but that's a real good answer. Alright, next question," he pushes a piece of paper towards him. "Famine. That means that there's not enough food. There's a famine in New L'manberg, and you need to figure out how to fix it. What do you do?" 

Tubbo scrunches up his face, taking a little longer to respond than the last. "Um, well..I'd..grow more food?" He laughs, nervously looking away. "Niki's got a bakery, so I'd get her to help. I know she'd help, so everyone would be able to at least eat bread. But if the wheat was.." Tubbo bites down on his lip. "I don't know. I don't..I don't know," he admits. "What..what should I do if that happens? If it lasts for a long time, then we'd have to..I don't.. _fuck_ , I'm.."

"Hey," Schlatt taps his pen on Tubbo's wrist. _You're doing fine, big guy. Start preparing for a famine. Refrigerate things, freeze things so they stay fresh. Start a cow or sheep farm so you'll have meat. Freeze, dry, and can that meat. Keep it refrigerated, and you'll be fine. There's still that old potato farm in Pogtopia, you can go there in case of an actual emergency. People will have to deal with eating the same thing over and over again, but so long as they're alive, they'll be okay_. He pauses his writing, checking to see if Tubbo's reading it or not. "You're gonna be such a good President, Tubbo." 

Tubbo smiles, and Schlatt wishes it was because of his words. "Okay. Um," he clears his throat, shuffling over the papers. "Thank you, Schlatt. Seriously. I know that..you..I should really, really hate you. And I think I kind of do, because I don't really like these," Tubbo points at the side of his face, and Schlatt winces. He barely even notices anymore, he's gotten used to it, but when the scars are pointed out so _obviously_..he wishes he hadn't done that. He wishes a lot of things, but the past isn't going to change, so he'll move on. Eventually. "But I really don't think I could've done any of this without you. Tommy's a really good VP, don't get me wrong! But it's..it's nice to have someone who knows politics. D'ya think Wilbur will ever come around?"

 _Eventually. He's still being an asshole_. Schlatt sighs as he writes, glancing over his shoulder. Wilbur isn't there. "Well, it's been a good hour talking to you, big guy. I'll let you get some rest, yeah?" He smiles, setting his pen down on the desk. "I'll talk to you later, Tubbo." _I'll let you go back to bed now. You did really well. Proud of you, big guy._

"Okay!" Tubbo beams, and Schlatt smiles back down at him. "Have fun!"

Schlatt laughs, shoving his hands in his pants pockets. "I won't." He assures the President, walking out of Tubbo's office. He scans the immediate area for any sign of Niki, sighing when he doesn't see her. He doesn't like it when he has to talk to her at Wilbur's grave. It's uncomfortable. He walks back down the stairs, marveling at the work that's been done. It's unbelievable how _fast_ everyone worked to get New L'manberg to its feet. Everything blends perfectly together, and it just _works_. Schlatt can see the areas where Tommy built, they're all crooked and unbalanced. He can see Fundy's builds, which are always elegant and flowing. Schlatt can see his own work, which is a little less messy than Tommy's, but not nearly as good as Fundy or Eret's. He never used to build until recently. 

He cuts into the forest, smiling down at the flowers he sees scattered around. Tubbo's started to expand his bee farm, and Niki always scatters flowers around here before she goes to see Wilbur. Schlatt keeps walking, even though he could just float. He doesn't really like floating, it makes him feel..less real. Between him and Wilbur, one of them has to stay sane, and it might as well be him. He leans against one of the trees by Wilbur's grave, watching as Niki sits down in front of it. He's early, again. "Hey, Will."

"He isn't here," Schlatt sighs, sitting down next to her. Sometimes, if he's lucky, she can hear him clearly. He knows that she can hear little bits and pieces of what he says, but not enough to hold actual conversations. "Wilbur isn't here, Niki. He's never been here." Niki is silent for a couple minutes, and Schlatt lets her. He wasn't going to say anything, anyways. 

"Why?"

Schlatt swallows, resting his head against his hand as he stares at Wilbur's grave. "I don't know," he admits, watching as she twirls the grass in her finger. "I don't know why. I try to get him to come out and see you and everyone else, and he fucking _won't_. Every single day, I try to..I'm trying," he pauses, closing his eyes. "I don't know." Niki nods, going quiet again. This is how it normally goes. They'll say only the most necessary things, they'll never make smalltalk. He understands. Schlatt respects Niki. She's strong, smart, and she knows what she wants. She's stuck in her morals, and nothing will ever change them. Schlatt respects that. He likes that, how she'll die for the things she believes in. That doesn't mean he'll ever like her as a friend. He would like to, but it won't happen.

"Okay," Niki murmurs, staring ahead. Schlatt does the same. Wilbur's grave is well kept, there's not a single sign of dust or anything on it. His name is still freshly engraved, even if it's been weeks since he died. How long _has_ it been? Schlatt isn't sure, but it's definitely been more than two weeks. Time doesn't matter much to him anymore. "I miss him."

"So do I," Schlatt laughs, reaching behind him. He picks up a stray daisy, plucking it out of the ground. He sets it on top of Wilbur's headstone, watching as the wind gently blows it from side to side. "So do I." Schlatt sits there for a little, content to sit in silence. 

"Schlatt."

"Yeah?"

"I don't hate you."

"I'm sorry," he sighs, dragging his knees up to his chest. Wilbur's grave is mocking him. "You should."

"I should," Niki agrees, her voice soft. "But I don't. You've done more than he has."

Schlatt snorts, quirking a smile. "Yeah. He's a fucking asshole. He's trying to.." he sighs. "I don't know. I talked to him, and he still won't do it. I'll just make him come with me next time. Don't get this wrong," he stands up, breathing out. "I'm not the good guy here. I'm not a good person," he claps his hands, wincing at the lack of sound. "I'm gonna go. He isn't going to be here. He's not going to come to his grave, Niki. He's never going to. You should stop visiting," Schlatt sighs. "His body might be here, but he isn't."

"I'm not going to stop."

"Okay," Schlatt nods. "Bye, Niki."

"Bye, Schlatt."

He moves away, leaving Niki to sit there alone. Schlatt walks back to New L'manberg, watching as Quackity and Fundy walk past him, joking and laughing about something. He can see Eret on top of the ca- _why the fuck is Eret on the castle_. Schlatt snorts, grinning up at him, even if Eret can't see him. Eret's probably planning to behead George or something. Schlatt spots Phil and Tommy walking, smiling a little. They look happy. Schlatt sighs, walking behind them, his hands in his pockets. What the hell is he supposed to tell them later? That Wilbur still won't come to visit?

"Schlatt," he turns at the sound of Wilbur's voice, feeling his heart pick up. "Where's Niki?"

"At your grave. You should go talk to her," Schlatt watches as Wilbur nods, very clearly nervous. "She'll know that you're there. She can tell when I'm there. Go talk to her, Wilbur," he jerks his head towards the forest, offering him a smile. "Go on." 

Wilbur nods, his hands shaking. "I don't want to."

"Doesn't matter," Schlatt puts a hand on his shoulder, starting to guide him down the stairs. "You need to. I didn't want to be here either, and here I am. Come on," Schlatt leads him toward the forest, keeping one hand on his shoulder, the other on his back. "She's here." 

"I'm scared."

"Of what, Niki?" He laughs, grinning. Schlatt shoves him forwards. "She loves you, Wilbur. Everyone does. Go on, talk to her. I'll leave you to it." He turns away, stalking back up the stairs of New L'manberg. Schlatt can't help but feel a pit of guilt and jealousy in his chest. Once Wilbur finally starts talking to everyone else again, no one is going to..Schlatt will have to leave. No one is going to want to talk to him ever again. 

Schlatt sighs, looking out at all the buildings, at all the progress they've made. Tubbo is going to be a good President, he knows that. Tubbo isn't going to need him once Wilbur finally gets himself together. 

That's alright. 

Schlatt never planned on staying anyways. 


	7. halcyon

Wilbur watches as Niki sets flowers on his grave, floating directly above them. "Why do you bring flowers?" He asks, floating down to be at eye level with her. "You know that I'm right here. What's the point in bringing flowers to my dead body? My corpse. Corpse is such a weird word, did you know that?" He laughs when she does, his face settling into a soft smile. "I _am_ really sorry, Niki. For not showing up before. I guess I was..I don't know. I thought it was.." Wilbur shrugs, even if she can't see him. "Schlatt's being good, right?"

"He's been very helpful," Niki smiles. She can hear him nearly perfectly. Sometimes she says that he cuts out, but otherwise, she hears all of the words he says. Wilbur is unbelievably thankful for that. "He's helped rebuild New L'manberg. When are you going to go talk to Phil and Tommy? And Fundy?" Wilbur sighs, which he knows is audible to her. _Fuck_. "Will."

"I know," he murmurs, settling to sit next to her. "I do. I know, I need to talk to them. It's just..I'm nervous, Niki. What if they hate me? Fundy..I don't.."

"They want to see you," Niki tells him, her eyes fixated on his grave. Wilbur wishes that she could see him. He wishes a lot of things, but he mostly wishes _that_. He wishes he could be seen again. "He's your son, Will. You need to talk to him. He misses you so much, you know that, right? Sometimes he'll come to visit with me, but he always ends up leaving really, really soon. He misses you. And so does Phil, he wants to say a lot of things to you. He feels awful."

Wilbur shakes his head, burying his head in his knees. "He _shouldn't_. I asked him to kill me, and he did. I wanted that. I don't remember that moment very clearly, but I know that I was happy that I died. That it was finally over," he sighs. "I'll..I'll talk to Fundy today, alright? Can he hear me?"

"I don't know," Niki shrugs. "You've never been around." The words are like a shot to his stomach, and he winces at how much they hurt. He knows that Niki chooses her words very carefully and precisely, and there's no way that those words were unintentional. Wilbur knows that she had to, though. He won't fucking listen unless he's yelled at or told the blatant truth, and he doesn't know _why_. He knows that he's always been stubborn, but he's never been _this_ stubborn. 

"Okay," he nods, breathing in. "Thank you. You mean the world to me," he smiles, wishing he could hug her. In the ten minutes they've finally talked, Wilbur finally feels like himself again. He feels so much _better_. "I love you, Niki. I'll go talk to Fundy." Niki smiles back, looking up vaguely around where he is. Wilbur moves to meet her eyes, even if it doesn't mean anything to her, it means the world to him that she's looking at him. 

"I love you too, Will. I'm proud of you." 

Wilbur turns away, grinning down at the ground. He starts to walk before his heart can explode from happiness, shoving his hands in his pockets as he does. New L'manberg is gorgeous. Tubbo's done an excellent job of remodeling it, and everything looks so _good_. Wilbur glances towards Fundy's house, smiling softly when he sees his son sitting on the roof. Nervousness nestles its way into his chest, but he forces himself to keep walking, to keep moving. He promised Niki, and he..he needs to do this, anyways. There's no good reason why he hasn't. He's been such a shitty dad, and..he needs to fucking work on it. 

Wilbur floats up to the roof, settling himself down next to his son, staring off at New L'manberg. "Fundy?" He asks, tilting his head to the side. He feels a spike of anxiety when Fundy's ears perk up, angling towards him. "Hi. Um, I-"

"Wilbur?" Fundy immediately turns to face him, his eyes huge. "You..I thought.." 

"I'm so sorry," he whispers. "For not visiting. I was so..I don't know. There's no reason. I'm a shit dad, and I'm so sorry, Fundy. You're my boy! My boy.." he closes his eyes, swallowing past the lump in his throat. "I'm so sorry."

Fundy stares at him, tears shining in his eyes. "I can _see_ you," Fundy whispers. "You're right here. You.." he reaches out, his hand going straight through Wilbur's. " _Dad,_ " Fundy lets out a choked cry, his ears falling back. "You.."

"Fundy.." Wilbur scoots forwards, even if it means nothing. Fundy can hear him, he can _see_ him! Fundy can see him! "I'm so.." he grins, wiping away a tear on his face. "Oh my god. I..I love you," he laughs, excitement bubbling in his chest. "I love you so much, oh my god, I never thought..you're.." Wilbur closes his eyes for a second, forcing himself to breathe. He has to remember to breathe, he always fucking forgets. "You can see me! You can see me, and I- I'm here! You can see me!"

"I can!" Fundy laughs, grinning so wide it has to hurt. "You know," his grin fades, settling into a thin line. "I'm..I'm fucking _angry_ at you. You never..you left me alone for a _month_ , Wilbur. A month. I thought you were fucking gone, and no one ever could explain to me why the hell _Schlatt_ was coming around, and you wouldn't. And then when he told me that you were also here, but you just wouldn't..you..you _hurt_ me. Wilbur, that fucking _hurt_." 

Wilbur swallows, dipping his head. "I'm sorry. If I was, like, physically here, I'd let you assault me," he offers. "I'm really sorry, Fundy. I don't know what was wrong with me. I think I was scared."

"Of your family?"

"I blew up L'manberg, Fundy," Wilbur gestures down at New L'manberg. He barely can even see the crater that used to be there. "I thought you would hate me. I'd hate me. I think I do."

"I don't hate you," Fundy mutters. "I'm just _angry_. You never even thought about how I'd feel, did you?" Wilbur opens his mouth to protest, and Fundy glares at him, his eyes sharp. "Don't lie to me, Wilbur."

"I.." he breathes out. "I really just thought that you'd hate me. I was scared."

Fundy nods, sitting in silence for a moment. "Okay," he murmurs. "Okay. You're..whatever, you're forgiven. I'm still angry at you, but if you keep showing up, I'll be significantly less angry." Wilbur laughs, nodding at his son.

"Of course. I love you too, Fundy." Fundy smiles, leaning back against the roof. 

"You're okay too, Wilbur."

Those words mean the world to him, and Wilbur doesn't plan on ever losing them. 


	8. memoriam

Schlatt's life has become increasingly boring ever since he knocked some sense into Wilbur. 

Tubbo prefers talking to Wilbur over him, and Niki has no real reason to talk to him now. Quackity and Fundy never liked talking to him anyways, and it isn't like Phil and Tommy are particularly interested with speaking to him, either. They never really were, anyways. He sighs, shoving his hands in his pockets as he walks along the forest. He never really explored much of the SMP - he never really had a reason to. But now, he's got all the time in the world, and he doesn't really plan on doing anything else. Schlatt stares at the fauna and flowers, wondering if some of them are natural. The blue mushrooms definitely don't look like they should be there, but whatever. 

Schlatt sighs, scuffing his feet along the ground as he walks. He'd go to New L'manberg and fix up some of Tommy's shitty woodwork, but he..he doesn't want to see Wilbur. He _really_ doesn't fucking want to see Wilbur. There's no reason for it, it's his fault. He could have just let Wilbur sulk and suffer and everyone would've praised him for his work, but..Schlatt sighs. That wasn't _fair_. He knows that Wilbur's breaking was his fault, that his insanity was entirely on him. Schlatt can't fully understand it though, because he literally won the election _fairly_ and _legally_. It isn't his fault that Wilbur decided to host it. 

That part wasn't his fault. Was any of it really his fault? Schlatt scoffs at himself, shrugging the thought off. He isn't going to pretend like he wasn't an asshole. He abused everyone around him and he knows it, and he..he feels partially bad for that. He mostly blames the alcohol, but it was his fault, too. He was the one who chose to drink, no one was forcing him to. Fucking hell, he's..Schlatt doesn't know what the hell he's supposed to do. He's being an idiot, he knows that.

It's been a long time since he's been an idiot over _people_. He's mostly always looked out for himself and never really bothered with dealing with anyone else. But now he has Tubbo, and Wilbur, sort of. Wilbur hates him, though. Schlatt could be the stupidest person alive and he'd still know that Wilbur hates him. He understands that, but they're fucking _dead_ now. Everything is in the past, and he can't change it. Neither of them can change anything other than how they act towards each other. Schlatt thinks that Wilbur's fucking stupid for holding grudges. 

God, he's been talking to _Niki!_ Schlatt's been speaking to the one person who solemnly swore to hate him, and it's going _well_. He did his job, he did _more_ than he had to. Schlatt helped rebuild, he built houses up from the ground. He cleared out rubble, he comforted Tubbo and Phil, he updated them all on how Wilbur was doing. He talked to Eret about getting him his kingship back, how he could probably form a legal plan to get rid of George as king. Schlatt's done so fucking much, and now it's..

He's going to leave. 

Schlatt's already decided, but he's..he's really going to do it. He _hated_ being alone at the talent show, he hated seeing the remains of SMPLive, the broken pieces that surrounded him. He was so sure that he would never choose to go back there, but..he doesn't need to be here, not anymore.

No one wants him here.

Which is fine, he didn't expect anyone to want him here. It's alright. Schlatt understands, he isn't fucking stupid. He can hear the way they talk about him. He can see the way their faces drop whenever his name is mentioned. They all like Wilbur more, and Schlatt wishes he could wrap his head around that one. Wilbur literally blew up their home, he destroyed it. And then he wouldn't even live up to his mistakes, he wouldn't face the people he hurt. He just hid from the world, and he left Schlatt to deal with everyone.

And Schlatt didn't even _have_ to, and that's why he's so confused. He _knows_ that he isn't likable, he knows that. But he's been _helping_. He's been helping Tubbo with politics, he's been farming and building and taking care of New L'manberg. He's literally been helping so much, and he never had any obligation to. Wilbur did, Wilbur had a fucking obligation to help the people he swore to protect and he didn't. He just sat on his ass and watched everyone else do the work, and he's praised as a hero. 

Of course he's the hero, of course he is. Schlatt's the antagonist, isn't he? He always has been. No matter what he does, he'll always be the bad guy.

He doesn't have the be the good guy. He knows that he isn't. But he wishes that someone could understand that he isn't fucking _evil_. He's an asshole, he knows that. He's a dickhead and a piece of shit, but he's..he's _trying_. And no one even seems to see that. They're all so swept up in Wilbur that they won't even..no one will look at him anymore. Tubbo has started to stop coming to their meetings, and Fundy and Quackity will ignore him whenever he tries to talk. Niki doesn't has a reason to talk, and she doesn't visit Wilbur's grave as often as she used to. Eret doesn't stop by anymore. Tommy won't talk to him. Phil doesn't ignore him, but it's clear he doesn't want to talk to him.

Wilbur's always had that effect on people. He charms them and dazzles them, making them fully believe that he's the good guy. That he's the one who needs..

Schlatt sighs, stopping his walking. He stares up at the sky, watching as it warps and twists. He recognises it as the sky from water rising and smiles. "Not yet," Schlatt sighs, continuing to walk. "I've still got a few things to do."

Schlatt can't just leave without saying goodbye. He wants to, but he won't. 

They deserve that much, don't they?


	9. reunion

A month goes by, and Wilbur is nearly certain that he's fixed everything. 

Tommy, Phil, Fundy, Niki, and Tubbo can all see and hear him clearly now. Quackity can hear him but he can't see him, and it's the opposite for Eret. 

Everything is so fucking _perfect_ , and Wilbur can't believe that he nearly gave all of it up. He helps Tubbo run his country, he offers him advice. Wilbur knows that he put Tubbo in a very hard position very suddenly, and he..he regrets that. He regrets a lot of things. He goes on visits to Techno, who can't really see or hear him. Wilbur knows that Techno is aware that he's there, so it's fine. 

The only person he hasn't talked to much is..Schlatt.

Wilbur hasn't even seen Schlatt recently, he hasn't seen him in the past week. He assumes that he's just being dramatic, which isn't surprising. Schlatt's always had a flare for the dramatic, and that doesn't seem to have left him when he died. At first, Wilbur was angry at him. He was annoyed that Schlatt went off to disappear and sulk, but then he realised he didn't really care. Schlatt has done nothing to him other than hurt him, and Wilbur is glad that he doesn't have to see his fucking face all the time. 

He hovers above Quackity's shoulder, following him along the pathway. L'manberg looks _amazing_ , and he admires them all for their hard work. He never knew how dedicated Quackity was, but seeing him right now, Wilbur realises. Eret, too. All of them helped rebuild L'manberg, and he's eternally grateful for that. Since the fog in his head is cleared, he can see how badly he hurt them all. Especially Tommy and Niki. "You need to finish your house," Wilbur tells Quackity, watching as his head snaps up. "If you don't, it's gonna stand out."

"Yeah, yeah," Quackity rolls his eyes. "Okay, _mom_. I can fuckin' take care of myself," he puffs out his chest, a faint smile on his face. Wilbur would almost consider him like a little brother. Maybe a younger family member. "Hey, Wilbur? Where's Schlatt gone? I haven't heard from him in like..ever since you came back." Wilbur rolls his eyes at the name, shrugging his shoulders.

"I don't know. I don't really care." 

Quackity frowns, but he nods. "Okay. I..just, you know? He was here every single day, and now he's gone. Tubbo asks about him."

"Didn't he literally abuse you?" Wilbur curls up his lip, furrowing his eyebrows together. "Why would you care about him?" Quackity turns his head towards Wilbur's voice, and Wilbur sees disgust in his eyes. 

"Don't say that shit, man," Quackity shakes his head. "Stop. Seriously," he closes his eyes. "He's changed since then, okay? He's different. He helped us all. Didn't he get you to start coming back here again?"

Wilbur frowns, guilt seeping into his chest. He's silent.

"That's what I thought," Quackity scoffs. "Why don't you go talk to Techno, or whatever. I don't really want to talk to you, man." Wilbur turns away with a nod, even if Quackity can't see him. He stalks out of L'manberg, guilt and shame in his heart. Fuck. He walks away from L'manberg, heading towards the graveyard. If anything, he might find Schlatt there. He doesn't..he doesn't know where Schlatt would go. He doesn't know Schlatt as much as he used to. Wilbur doesn't know if that's a good thing. 

He pauses when he reaches the woods, staring ahead. Wilbur smiles gently, watching as Schlatt leans up against his headstone. Tubbo had Schlatt's body reburied, he had Schlatt buried next to him. "Schlatt," Wilbur calls out, watching as the man's head snaps up. "I haven't seen you in forever." Schlatt sighs, tilting his head up. 

"Yeah. That was on purpose." Wilbur rolls his eyes, annoyance settling his his stomach. 

"Okay, whatever. I figured I'd come here to talk to you and catch up, but whatever."

Schlatt sighs. "I'm leaving." Wilbur pauses, frowning. He turns to face Schlatt, crossing his arms. 

"What do you mean you're leaving?"

"I said what I said," Schlatt stands up, looking exhausted. Wilbur didn't think that ghosts could be exhausted. "I'm leaving New L'manberg, I'm leaving this world. No one wants me here anymore," he says the words with a tired smile, his eyes gently crinkling at the sides. "Why would they want me when they have you?" Schlatt asks. For the first time since Wilbur's met him, Schlatt looks..he looks small. He looks small, he looks like the husk of a man he used to be. He doesn't look like Schlatt. All of the pride and confidence has faded away, leaving him with nothing other than pure exhaustion. "They've got you. They don't need me anymore."

"Well," Wilbur clears his throat. "I..I don't think that's true. Tubbo and Quackity ask about you a lot. They wonder why you don't come around?"

"And neither of them have tried to look for me?" Schlatt raises an eyebrow. "Yeah, okay. I'll..listen, I'll say goodbye. But I'm not going to stay," Schlatt sighs, his shoulders slouching. "They've got you now, Wilbur. They always preferred you over me. They always will." 

Wilbur pauses, not sure what to say. "I don't think so."

"They do," Schlatt smiles. "Trust me, they do. It's all they'd ask about back when you were being a fucking idiot," Schlatt brushes past him, lingering for a few seconds. "They'll always prefer you, Wilbur. I'm not important." And then he's gone, disappearing from Wilbur's side. 

He turns to face L'manberg, wondering if that's where Schlatt went. He doesn't see him. Wilbur feels..he feels cold. He feels _cold_ , and he doesn't know why. He turns back to face the graveyard, wandering towards Schlatt's headstone. He kneels down to the ground, staring at the grave. 

"You're wrong," Wilbur murmurs. "They don't want me. They want you." 

And, as per usual, Schlatt isn't there to hear him. 


	10. goodbye

Schlatt is happy. He adjusts his coat, shifting uncomfortably in it. It's Wilbur's L'manberg outfit. He found it in one of the chests, and he was getting colder, so..he just grabbed it. It isn't like Wilbur wants to wear it, anyways. Schlatt stares at himself in the mirror, looking at the man he's become. His hair is combed neatly back, his horns a little hidden by said hair. He needs a haircut, but it isn't like he'll get one anytime soon.

Schlatt stares at the scars on his face and neck, stares at the bags under his eyes. He looks completely different, yet entirely the same at the same time. He doesn't like that very much. Schlatt heaves a sigh, wishing that he didn't look so awkward in Wilbur's coat. It isn't meant for him, he knows that, but it's..symbolic, sort of. 

He turns away from the mirror, dragging his feet along the ground as he walks. Pogtopia smells faintly of rain and farmland, and he wonders if Wilbur's come here to visit. Schlatt's been staying here for the most part. It's hidden away from everything else, and it takes time to walk out here. No one is going to bother to try and find him, especially if it takes effort. Schlatt walks out of the room he's been staying in, which he assumes is Wilbur's. He stares out at Pogtopia, staring at the buttons that litter the walls. Schlatt wonders if any of them actually do anything. He doubts it. 

Schlatt shoves his hands in his coat, walking up the stairs that lead to the outside. Pogtopia is nice enough, but he still hates it down here. He can understand why Wilbur doesn't visit this place anymore. He doesn't like being underground, especially not when he's alone.

Well, he's going to be alone soon enough.

He's never really been a fan of being alone, but whatever. He'd rather be alone than be in a world with people who don't even give a shit about him. If anything, he really did think that Tubbo would care. Schlatt rolls his eyes at himself, shivering when he leaves Pogtopia. It's the end of winter, but it's still freezing. Tubbo has no obligations to be nice to him, not after all Schlatt did. He understands that, but it's still hard to make himself believe it. 

The air around him is freezing, and he wonders if that's because of him. Schlatt's noticed that the air gets colder when Wilbur is around him, so it could easily be the same with him. Maybe it's a ghost thing. He sighs, dragging his feet along the ground as he walks. He doesn't want to say goodbye. He'd prefer to just leave, but he knows that he shouldn't. He's trying to repent, after all. Not like it matters that much, he's going to be leaving anyways. But _still._

Schlatt sighs, staring ahead at New L'manberg. They've done so well. He keeps walking, frowning at the sudden shouting. The fuck? Schlatt picks up his pace, turning it into a light jog. He rushes into New L'manberg, desperately looking around, and- 

"Dream, please escort Tommy out of New L'manberg," Tubbo is saying, his eyes devoid of emotion. Schlatt blinks, gaping a little. He stares at Wilbur, who looks back at him. " _Now_." 

"What?" Tommy looks terrified, his eyes huge. "But you said, you..said.."

"Tubbo, what the fuck?" Fundy gapes, looking in between Wilbur and Tubbo. "You told us that you weren't going to-"

"Yeah!" Quackity shouts. "What the _fuck_ are you doing?" He snarls, hand on his hip. He's reaching for his- _shit_. Schlatt moves faster than he logically should, shoving Quackity down to the ground. "What- Wi- _Schlatt?_ "

Schlatt breathes out, his heart hammering in his chest. "You can't kill him," he shakes his head. "You can't kill him," Schlatt offers a hand to Quackity, who can fucking _see him_. "He's sixteen. You can't kill him," Quackity takes his hand, stumbling back when he stands up. "Tubbo, what the fuck are you doing?" He whirls around to face the President. Tubbo just looks at him, and Schlatt..he recognises that look. 

He used to have that look in his eyes. That's what Wilbur always would tell him. 

"Tommy burnt down George's house," Tubbo explains, all very calmly. "He's a liability. I'm not risking my country. You taught me that liabilities should be taken care of, right?" Tubbo quirks a smile. "I'm not having New L'manberg be destroyed because Tommy can't fucking control himself." 

"Wilbur," Tommy pleads. "You're not gonna let him do this, right?" 

Wilbur blinks. "It isn't up to me," he murmurs. "I can't do anything about this."

"What? But you..you.." 

"Come _on_ ," Dream grabs Tommy's shoulder, jerking him roughly to the side. "Let's go." Tommy casts out a hopeless look, and Schlatt..

He can't..

"Okay," Schlatt breathes out, shoving Dream to the side. He clamps a hand down on Tommy's shoulder, squeezing. "Where are you taking us, Dream?" 

Dream's mask stares back at him, and Schlatt doesn't look away. Dream turns his head to the side, cursing under his breath. "You have no fucking reason to go with him," Dream snarls. "He's exiled from this country. If you go with him, I'm sure it'll be the same for you. Won't it, Tubbo?" Schlatt turns to look up at Tubbo, the kid he called his little brother. What the fuck happened to him? 

This is his fault, isn't it? He shouldn't have..he stopped showing up, and Tubbo started to get advice from the fucking lunatic. Wilbur isn't even looking at any of them, he's just staring at the ground. Schlatt tightens his grip on Tommy's shoulder, locking eyes with Tubbo. "Yes," Tubbo breathes out. He looks uncertain. "It'll be the same for..for Schlatt." 

"Good," Dream snorts. "Let's go, then." He reaches out to grab Tommy again, and Schlatt punches him in the chest, watching as he keels over for a second. 

"Don't fucking touch him," Schlatt snarls. He doesn't give a shit if he doesn't have a sword on him or not - Dream can't hurt him, anyways. "Keep your hands off of him. He's just a kid," Schlatt guides Tommy down the stairs, not waiting for Dream to follow. "What the hell happened?"

"Why are-"

"Answer my question first."

Tommy nods, looking sadder than Schlatt's ever seen him. "I didn't even burn down his house," he whispers. "I caused a little bit of a d- damage, but I could fix it. I could fix it. He wouldn't listen to me. I thought he'd..I thought.." he shakes his head. "I don't understand."

"It'll be alright," Schlatt assures him, glancing over his shoulder. Dream is trailing behind them, his posture furious. "We'll be fine." 

Schlatt shivers, throwing off Wilbur's coat. It hits the ground in front of them, and Schlatt steps on it as soon as he reaches it. He looks up at Wilbur, who still isn't looking at him or anyone else. Of fucking course he isn't. He's always been so ready to turn a blind eye when decisions start to become difficult. 

"We'll be fine," Schlatt repeats, letting Dream walk ahead of them. "I'll figure this out." He promises. 

He can't leave this world. 

Not anymore.


End file.
